Based in the heart of the town in The Olney Centre, Olney Pre-School is a warm and welcoming environment where your children learn and develop through play. Olney Pre-School welcomes children from the age of 2 years, depending on place availability, to statutory school age, who live in Olney and the surrounding catchment area.
We understand that choosing the right setting for your child is an important decision, so we strive to create a fun, challenging and secure environment. Children enjoy a wide variety of learning opportunities, planned by our enthusiastic team of well qualified, dedicated and experienced practitioners. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and here is a link to the guide for parents published by the Department for Education: What to expect in the EYFS.
Olney Pre-School has been serving the families of Olney and the surrounding villages for over 50 years, preparing young children for their transition to school. We are set up as a registered charity, so run as a not-for-profit setting. We are overseen by a parent-run management committee, ensuring that parents play an important role in the success of the setting. We are affiliated to the Early Years Alliance (EYA) who provide comprehensive support, information and guidance for the early years sector. The Olney Pre-School Constitution follows the EYA’s template and ensures that we are run in line with rules for registered charities set down by the Charities Commission. We are also an Ofsted registered setting and as such subject to regular inspections. You can see our most recent Ofsted Inspection Report from June 2019 by clicking here.
Facilities
We have two spacious indoor rooms for three and four year olds, arranged to facilitate investigative and creative play, independence, resilience and the pursuit of individual interests and a linked but separate two year olds room (which opened in September 2023) in which we welcome our youngest children and support them as they become confident and curious learners. We also have a bright, secure garden, which we use in all weathers to provide the outdoor play so essential to young children. Our provision is designed to invite children to explore and investigate in child-led play, alongside engaging adult-supported activities to deepen children’s understanding of the world, develop their communication and social skills, and introduce the foundations of learning. We plan several trips into the local community throughout the year, many of which we are delighted to invite parents to share.
Session Times
Sessions run Monday to Friday, normally following the same term times and inset days as at Olney Infant Academy and Olney Middle School. We offer a choice of morning or afternoon sessions in the main pre-school and morning sessions only in the two year old room:
9.00am – 11.30am and 12.30pm – 3.00pm.
We are pleased to offer a lunch club each day, enabling children to stay for full days once they turn 3 and space allows, prioritising those children due to go to school within the next year. Our fees for those not eligible for funding are £12.50 per session or £5 per hour (all children are eligible for 15 hours Nursery Education Grant from the full term after they turn 3). Please see our funding page for more details.
Our Aims and Objectives
- To support the individual and diverse ways in which children learn and develop, through play, nurturing relationships and practical experiences.
- To provide a secure and stimulating environment that considers the emotional and physical well-being of every child.
- To support children’s transitions into the Pre-School environment, between different childcare providers and into full time schooling.
- To provide equal opportunities for all children, promoting equality and inclusion and celebrating diversity.